


Missing You

by fumomoshi



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Overworking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 17:58:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15824046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fumomoshi/pseuds/fumomoshi
Summary: Tachibana Sui is tired of work. So damn tired of work. He started to reminiscence about the part time job at the cafe he used to work at.





	Missing You

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to practice writing some fluffy angst for a while, so here it is~!  
> Aftermath of one of my friend's really long fic.

_ Argh... _

Sui looked around the office, ensuring that no one was around before sinking into his seat. He took off his PC glasses and cleaned his face with the last piece of wet tissue on his desk.

He stretched, wincing from feeling every knot on his back. He yawned through his nose and heaved a sigh, wondering if he should start to make a move home. Squinting, he checked the clock across the room that was barely illuminated by his side. It was already midnight, making it the 4th straight day he had to work till this hour. He looked at his desk where several small mountains of files and binders of accounts that he needed to audit sat, and wondered if it was possible to complete them by Friday.

_ Who am I kidding.  _ He had been doing this job for long enough to have a good estimate of his pace.  _ Another burnt weekend,  _ he thought grimly.  _ When was the last time I had a free weekend?  _ Dejected, he escaped to his phone, opening LINE and his several group chats, scrolling through them one by one. His replies were that of rejection and apology. 

“Sorry I can't make it!” 

“I might not be able to join so go ahead without me!”

“Yeah I have to work that day too… don't worry about me and have fun!”

Some of the groups didn't bother checking with him anymore, not that they needed to. He was either busy working over the weekend, or too exhausted to go out. A sense of loneliness crept onto him, weighing him down onto the table, as he continued to absentmindedly scroll through social media. 

He scrolled and scrolled, scrolling past pictures of his friends that he hadn't met since he graduated and the gatherings that he had missed. They all looked happy in the photos, which didn't make Sui feel any better. It's not that he wasn't happy for them, but he wanted to be happy  _ with _ them. 

Then he stopped. His thumb hovered over a particular picture, a familiar picture he hadn't seen for awhile. It was a picture of him and his co-workers when he was working in a part time job at a nearby cafe while he had been studying. A warmth spread from his chest into a smile on his face, reminiscing the fun times he had in the short amount of time he spent there.

He remembered the owner, Douzaki-san, clicking his tongue constantly at everything that annoyed him even the slightest bit. He witnessed his slow change of heart; although Sui couldn't put it in words how, they had transformed what was a dreary place into one the more popular spots on the street.

 

_ Must be because of him,  _ Sui’s thumb hovered over the more confident-looking, handsome, taller man in the picture, the patisserie who came all the way from Tokyo who started changing the cafe and — Sui grinned — Douzaki-san’s life.  _ Shinohara Kouta, _ Sui recalled his name. He couldn't believe that Douzaki-san and him became a pair. Still, witnessing them falling for each other was something else altogether, as he recorded it in his mind as one of the most romantic dramas ever. 

_ They are so cute together,  _ Sui thought fondly.

Then he hovered his thumb over the shortest in the group. 

_ Karusawa Souta.  _ The name resonated loudly in his mind. He couldn't forget this boy (who was older than him) even if he tried. The entertainer of the group, he was always so full of energy and surprises, pulling off magic tricks one day and balancing five plates at once the next. There wasn't a dull moment with him around. Even when there weren't any customers around, he would spend most of his time entertaining Sui with idle chit chat or showing off his various skills. It was as if he was a walking circus. 

Sui sighed. Those were fun days. He wondered if they remembered him. He wasn't particularly outstanding. He wasn't as charismatic as Shinoda-san, as loud as Karu, or as...angry?...as Douzaki-san. Nevertheless, he pushed the ‘Like' button. 

Sui returned to his monotonous reality, the gray walls, black numbers and white paper surrounding him. His time spent in the cafe felt like a dream. He coughed. Just thinking about it made him feel sick, as he downed a bottle of vitamin drink, praying hard internally not to fall sick the next day.

“Ooh! Do you want to see a magic trick?” 

Sui’s heart leapt in joy as he turned towards the direction of Karu’s voice, except that there wasn't a Karu in sight. His heart turned heavy. He had really hoped to see Karu there and then, even if it was an impossibility. He slumped back onto the table, choking with an ache in his chest. He missed Karu so much. Recollecting their interactions in the short time they spent together was the only thing that stopped Sui from crying to sleep every night and getting his body to the office every morning. 

_ I'm so effing tired.  _ Sui cursed in his mind, cautiously in case there’s a mind reading ghost in the office. He was so exhausted of his work. He had hoped to stay in this company forever, ready to sacrifice everything he had to survive... But after a year of non-stop overtime, he wasn’t so sure anymore. The thought scared him. He didn't want to leave. It was a rare opportunity to work in his prestigious company, and it would be a waste to just leave. It would be an insult to those who didn't make it. 

 

Even if he left, what then? Stories of the bad job market, especially his industry, filled his mind. 

“AI is taking over our jobs.”

“Retrenchment rate all time high!”

“It’s getting harder to secure a job!”

He retreated into his own arms, burying his face into his elbows, his head pounding loudly and painfully as his head continued to list and repeat the reasons. He shuddered as a sense of impending doom and fear enveloped him, suffocating him. He wanted out. He wanted to go home, away from everything. But he couldn’t. He felt trapped and isolated by walls he couldn’t see. He felt as if everything in his life falling apart. No friends, no future, no motivation. Just despair.

_ Karu…  _

He sniffled. He wanted to cry.

And he almost did, but a buzzing sound stopped him. His phone vibrated next to him indicating a new notification. Wiping the little drops of tears that were forming in his eyes, he picked up his phone.  _ Probably just another spam mail _ , he thought, convinced that no one would send him a message this late. 

He thought wrong. He rubbed his eyes and slapped himself awake to make sure he wasn't seeing things. What he saw was undeniably an instant message from Karu, a year since they last interacted. Sui could almost hear his voice as he read it.

**Karu:** Yoo! How are ya!! OvO

Sui started at the message for the longest two minutes of his life. He wanted to tell Karu everything and yet, nothing as the same time. He wanted to tell him that everything’s fine but he couldn't bring himself to say so; he didn’t want Karu to be worried.  _ Maybe I should ignore the message for now and reply later when I’m feeling better _ , Sui thought.  _ Besides, I have work to finish. _

**Karu:** Suiii~! It’s me! 

**Karu:** Remember me? 

**Karu:** The guy that worked with you at that cafe before you graduated!

The messages continued. Sui realized that it was probably because he left the application open, it sent Karu notifications that his messages were read. He felt guilty that he thought of not replying despite seeing the messages.  _ What have I become?  _ He sighed, shaking his head in disapproval of himself, and started tapping on the virtual keyboard on his phone.

**Sui:** Hello.

**Karu:** Oh! Hi! I didn’t expect you to reply. I thought maybe you were busy or something so I thought I should stop. Are you busy? We can chat some other day.

_ Technically I am kind of busy,  _ Sui thought, looking at the clock. He didn’t get to finish his work, but it’s so late that he figured that he might as well get ready to head home.  _ Another day where my work overflowed to the next.  _ He packed his bags, switched off all the lights and electronics (since he’s the last person in his office) and left. 

**Sui:** Sorry, was just leaving the office. 

**Karu:** Eh?! So late? Have you eaten?

**Sui:** Yeah I prepared bento. 

**Karu:** That’s dinner lol. I meant supper!

**Sui:** Yeah I prepared food for supper too.

**Karu:** …are you serious.

**Sui:** Yeah, it's healthier. 

He paused, suddenly unsure what Karu’s last statement meant. Sui already had food prepared and pre-prepared for the next few days, and he had been doing that ever since he lived on his own. )In fact, he enjoyed doing that, to the point where he might say that it’s his hobby.

**Sui:** Wait, what do you mean by ‘are you serious.”

**Karu:** Er.

**Karu:** I don’t think I have heard of people preparing bento for supper.

**Karu:** Do you prepare that everyday?

**Sui:** ...yeah…?

**Karu:** ...Sui, are you okay? How long have you been doing this?

 

Sui laughed dryly in his head. Or maybe he did literally laugh; he wasn’t sure. 

 

**Sui:** Since I joined the company.

**Karu:** Wow, I thought I work many late nights, but you had it worse, huh? 

**Karu:** Can I call? I’m on the way home and it’s lonely and I’m bored haha!

Sui panicked. He wasn’t ready to have a call. Besides, he’s too tired. He decided to kindly reject. He proceeded to key in the message when suddenly the entire interface disappeared, replaced by the incoming call interface. The phone vibrates violently, the opening song of Sui’s favourite late-night drama played, filling the office lobby where he is now. Embarrassed, he cupped the phone and huddled to a corner, and picked up the call.

“Hello? Hello? Is this Tachibana Sui?”

Sui recognized the chirpy, energetic voice. It’s same voice he hears in his head before he sleeps. Memories of his time in the cafe he worked part time flooded to him and he fast-forward that period into his graduation and subsequently his time in his current job. He wanted to cry. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. 

“Sui~?”

Sui tried to speak, but no voice came out. He cleared his throat and calmed down; he was quivering, nervous. Perhaps excited at the same time. 

“H-Hi! K-K-Karus-s-sawa S-Sout-ta? K-kun? I mean, S-san?”

_ What am I so nervous about!?  _ Sui thought he screwed up so badly he wanted to just die in that moment. 

“Ahaha! Sui~! Long time no see! Or hear, I guess!” Karu’s hyper voice came from Sui’s phone.  _ A bit too hyper.  _

“K-Karu, are you drunk?” 

“I dunnae wa joo are talking aboot!” Karu laughed at the end of that. “Ahaha, a bit, maybe. And bored. I’m in the last train home and there’s no one to disturb...”

“T-that’s rare,” Sui commented. He the last trains where he works usually are packed with sleepy or drunk salaryman, but he guessed that Karu’s not working near the city. Sui himself lives close enough to the office to walk home, even if he missed the train. “And you shouldn’t be bothering people on the train!”

“I’m just kidding, ahaha. That’s why I decided to bother you after you liked that photo I just posted. It’s a good photo huh! Good memories. I missed everyone. I wonder how Douzaki and Shinohara are doing. I missed you the most, though! You were so nice to me, while I was just fooling around in the cafe. And you were so capable! Sometimes I wonder about how nice it would be if we lived together. I-I mean, like roommates, not like…well, ahaha! Sorry, I have been rambling on! A bit drunk, I guess...haha!”

"Sui...?"

Sui lets out a sniffle.

"Sui...?!"

"I...Karu, I...missed you too..." Sui lets the words flow out of his mouth, tears welled up in his eyes. Like his words, he couldn’t contain them, as they flowed down his cheeks. 

"Sui?! Are you alright?!" 

"Karu... I’m so sick of work... there’s so many accounts, so much to audit, so many deadlines, and we are understaffed, and I have been overtiming all day for a year, my friends have given up messaging me for gatherings, my colleagues aren’t in a good state either..." 

"..." 

"I’m sorry!" Sui gasped. "I’m so silly, complaining about work and all. I-I think you caught me at a bad time, that all! I’m fine…! Really! You should go enjoy yourself, haha. Don’t need me being a wet blanket.”

“Wait! Could we chat a while more? Besides, I’m bored. You know how I am with boredom, ahaha! Just a while more, please? I’m almost at my stop.”

Sui wanted to put down his phone. He didn’t feel talking to anyone after what he just said. But something within him wanted to hear Karu’s voice just a little longer. He closed his eyes and took a few breaths to calm himself down. “Okay,” he replied. 

“Yay~!” Karu cheered. Sui could almost imagine Karu grinning widely and stretching his arms carefreely as he said that, bringing a smile on his face which he tried to suppress to no avail. 

“Ah!” Sui realized that he had been talking about himself. “What about you! I heard you managed to find a teaching job. How was it?”

“It’s great, I guess! I haven’t felt bored yet. Well, not exactly but not bored to the point of quitting,” Karu said. “I have been thinking about your words ever since that day in the cafe. You remember? When you said that thing about being responsible and stuff?”

“I’m so sorry!” Sui bowed apologetically. “I was being too proper!...?”

 

“Ahaha! It’s okay, you didn’t say anything wrong,” Karu said. “You know, after teaching these kids for a year, I have been thinking about responsibility and stuff. And I realized how important it is to know and remember what I want out of something before committing to it. I know it sounds selfish but I guess it’s my way of maintaining self-interest, and then, hopefully, the rest of the things like responsibility would come naturally. And it seemed to work! I mean, I’m still doing this job!”

Sui blinked. In that moment, he felt like Karu’s the older one between them. He IS the older one, but still, when they were working in the cafe felt like Sui was the one taking care of him and is thus the older one. He couldn’t believe that this is the same Karu that he met a year ago. Inside, he’s really glad that Karu found something that he could stick to for a year, and hopefully many more to come.

“It’s good that you found something,” Sui said, then sighed. "I don’t know, Karu. I feel like a hypocrite. I’m so sick and tired of work. I want to just quit and run away. But that’s irresponsible, right? I mean, the company already invested so much in me and to run away is like betraying them, right?"

"But Sui, who is responsible for you then?" Karu asked.

Sui paused. He had never been asked such a question before. "The company...?" he answered, doubtful that he got it right. 

"I mean, before that!"

"My...mother?" Sui answered again, this time feeling silly. 

“Before even that! Ahaha!” Karu laughed. Sui could feel himself going red. “It’s yourself, silly!  _ You _ are responsible for  _ yourself _ !”

“...”

“By your logic, that means you are betraying yourself.” Karu continued. “You should take care of yourself first, Sui, especially since you are already working and living on your own. And I don’t just mean maintaining a healthy diet. If you do not enjoy your work, that means it isn’t a fit for you and you should leave before you destroy yourself. Or at least take a break. Running into a wall does not make it fall.” 

“K-Karu…” Tears flowed down Sui’s cheeks again. He’s confused. It felt like Karu’s right, but he wondered if it’s irresponsible for him to think like that.  _ That would mean I’m responsible to myself? But if I’m responsible to my work, then I’m betraying myself?  _ “I don’t know, Karu. I’m so confused…” He sniffled and cried, huddling towards a dark corner so that no one could see him. “I don’t know…”

“Sui?? I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

Sui didn’t say anything. He couldn’t, between all the sniffling. He wished that he could just teleport to his bed and cry to sleep and never wake up. 

“Erm!” Karu’s voice broke the silence. “Maybe you should take a break. Take a week leave or so to...you know, reflect on things a bit…?”

“I can’t, Karu. I thought about it many times. I have to finish my work…”

“Just apply for a break,” Karu’s voice turned uncharacteristically stern, giving Sui goosebumps. “How about three months from now? I would have a term break then and we can go travel somewhere together! Like what we did at universal studios back then!”

Sui cried. He would really love that, but is that really okay? “I-I don’t know, Karu. I have work…”

“Just do it,” Karu interrupted. “Three months notice should be more than enough time for your bosses. Besides, if they don’t allow you then I don’t think you should be working for them.”

“But…”

“Unless, of course, you’d rather not meet up someone as troublesome as me,” Karu’s voice softened, almost sounding disappointed. “I understand that.”

_ Eh?  _ Sui was alarmed at the sudden change of atmosphere. “N-no!!! That’s not what I meant at all! I would love to meet you!” 

“Really?”

“Really!!”

“You can say that I’m troublesome! You don’t have to be nice to me.” Karu said. “I know that I’m hyperactive, noisy and fickle-minded so if it’s troublesome to hang out with me, I totally understand! I’m an adult, I can take it! It’d be better if you are honest...in fact…” Karu’s voice trailed off at the end. 

“T-that’s not how I think about you at all! I think you are a wonderful person! You are bright, cheery, laughs at the face of trouble. A-and carefree! I enjoyed every moment with you at the cafe and Universal Studios.  Every time I’m feeling down I would just think about the times I had with you and...a-ah…!” Sui gasped.  _ I think I said too much ><; _

“Sui…”

“A-anyway! I would love to go out with you again.” Sui said. 

There was a pause, almost long enough to make Sui feel awkward, before Karu replied. “Er...haha...sorry, I suddenly felt a bit, I don’t know...happy, I guess?”” Karu voice trailed off, sounding uncertain. “A-Ahaha!” He laughed. “Maybe the heat of the alcohol is getting to me! So I’ll see you three months from now?”

“E-erm,” Sui stuttered. “I-I’m not sure; I have wor-”

“Don’t be silly, Sui. Just take the break. I want to see you and you want to see me. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”

“Karu! It’s embarrassing if you put it that way!” Sui could feel his face go red. “It’s almost sounds as if we are dating or something.”

“A-ahaha! I obviously didn’t mean it that way! Say! How about I remind you to apply for your leave everyday?” Karu suggested. “As an excuse to keep in contact.” He sounded proud at the last statement. “Sounds like a good excuse!”

“I-I guess that would help,” Sui replied.

“Right!" Karu chirped. "Anyway, I just arrived at my place so I’ll be off. I’ll chat with you tomorrow then! Gotta work tomorrow. It’s Friday!" 

With that, the line was cut, bringing Sui back to reality. He walked home, trying to ponder over what he discussed with Karu, but he’s so mentally and physically drained that his head felt fuzzy whenever he tried. 

Eventually he arrived home, showered and prepared all four bento boxes for the next day’s meal. Done for the day, he flopped onto his bed, listing down in his mind the things he needed to do the next day. 

"Just do it!" Karu’s voice echoed in his head. 

_ Should I?  _ Sui thought with a heavy heart, he dropped face into his pillow. Despite what Karu said, it still didn’t feel like the right thing to do, but then again he wasn’t sure if he should trust those feelings anymore.  _ Maybe it was a mistake?  _ He thought.

His phone vibrated. Sui prayed that it wasn’t a message from his bosses about the next wave of work as he unlocked the phone. Thankfully though, it was a message from Karu.

**Karu:** It’s a promise! Okay?

Along with the message was a selfie of a smiling Karu holding up his pinky finger, his usually energetic face softened a little possibly by fatigue and intoxication.  _ Why would you send a selfie,  _ Sui thought as a silly grin spread across his face while his fingers typed the reply as if by reflex.

**Sui:** I promise.

**Karu:** Have a good rest! ^^

Sui buried his face back into his pillow. For the first time in many moons, he fell blissfully asleep. 


End file.
